The Effect of Services Trade on Growth: A Panel Data Analysis on Developed and Developing Countries

A services trade, which has increasingly got important and a subject of trade due to improvements in knowledge and communication technologies, has been one of the important sources of economic growth for many countries. In this study, the effect of services trade on economic growth for country groups classified according to their development levels has been empirically investigated using panel data techniques for 1980-2007. The results reveal that while the coefficient which shows the relationship between services trade and economic growth is insignificant for developed countries, it is found significant for developing countries and for the whole sample which comprises both country groups. However, it is also observed that this effect is larger for developing countries which have higher services trade shares.